Ionioi Hetairoi: Army of the King (王の軍勢(アイオニオン・ヘタイロイ),Ou no Gunzei (aionion hetairoi)?) ("Companion cavalry" in Ionian) is the ultimate Noble Phantasm of Rider. It is a Reality Marble that embodies Alexander the Great's dreams and philosophies as a king and the bond formed with his subjects. Like how Saber'sExcalibur can be called the physical actualization of her ideals as a king, Ionioi Hetairoi is the actualization of Alexander's commanding abilities and his kingship. It is an irregular Reality Marble compared to those used by others. Normally only a magus or something beyond normal reality like Demons are capable of materializing the environment inside their minds, and as Alexander is neither, reproducing it alone is impossible for him. It comes about through the combined efforts of his personal guard, who vowed allegiance to him after many victories and defeats, even after death and becoming Heroic Spirits as well. They can recreate the land in which they once marched and shared many joys and sorrows, as it is imprinted upon the heart of each soldier, allowing them to bring about a sand-filled expanse roaring with hot and dry desert winds under the scorching sun and cloudless, clear skies without anything to obscure the everlasting horizon.
Once fully materialized, the heavily armed cavalry of soldiers slowly appears as mirage-like images and completely manifests as a diverse fighting force with the fierceness of a true army. The entire fighting force is fully composed of a peerless array of famed and legendary warriors only heard reverently in legends, all of whom personally fought with Alexander on the battlefield. They swept across continents during life, and no matter what they faced, enemy or fortress, it was powerless before them. As a leader who only desired to become stronger and more magnificent, live more fully, and become a man more real than any other, he left upon them an impression of never-ending loyalty that not even death can conquer. They are able to break the rules of space and time to fight once more at the side of their king, and like him, they wager everything that they are on the king's dream. They are his greatest treasure within treasures that make up his right to rule, and they are his true friends. They display the violence that reveals Alexander's method of tyrannical kingship without restraint, and he only takes pride in it. Their thunderous cries and their spirit could split oceans, and even someone as proud and haughty as Gilgamesh is left silent upon seeing such a radiant army.
Alexander and a number of his more notable soldiers
The members that make up his army include the Lord of War, the Maharaorajah, the founders of many dynasties, and even his horse, the legendary charger Bucephalus. She is a sleek and powerful steed who has become a Heroic Spirit along with the warriors, and she would be just as impressive as any of them if she were a human. The Fate/Zero Drama CD introduced an illustration with a number of unique designs that were also given specific detail upon Ionioi Hetairoi's deployment in the anime adaptation. The nature of the Reality Marble is not something like simply summoning the soldiers as familiars, but rather the EX rank of the ability comes from the fact that it is the consecutive summoning of multiple independent Servants. Though the exact number is not stated, they are easily able to overwhelm the eighty Assassins like they are insignificant, and Ea, which has a maximum of one thousand targets, destroys roughly half of the army with its use. They are all Master-less Servants, but they each have the rank E- equivalent of the "Independent Action" skill, meaning that they cannot leave the Reality Marble under normal circumstances and can only remain materialized for "thirty turns."
The generated land is Alexander's preferred battlefield due to the wide plains allowing him to best display his numerical superiority. He generally leads the army at the front of the vanguard while atop Bucephalus, but he can also freely use Via Expugnatio within the confines of the Reality Marble if he wishes. Their battlefield, sublimed into eternity, can be actualized anywhere, and if he were to again set forth in tyranny, all of his servants would hasten to him no matter his location. He believes that equipped with weapons from the Gate of Babylon, it would become the most powerful army capable of easily conquering the modern world. Its strength is great enough that simply thinking about it can cause even Saber to tremble, and she is uncertain of her victory against it even after going all out with Excalibur. Rider is prepared to face any threat that they may come against them, whether it is an Anti-Unit attack directed at destroying only him at the head of the army, or something large like an Anti-Army or Anti-Fortress attack, and overcome it so that they can easily trample the enemy before they can launch the next attack. He can freely organize the positions of those that enter Ionioi Hetairoi, grouping them to keep allies safe and align enemies directly before his army.[1] He can also choose where to deposit them after releasing it, though only within one hundred meters.
It is within the boundaries of ordinary space to summon a single soldier into the normal world without them being crushed by its corrective impulses. This allows Rider to summon Bucephalus without needing to deploy the Reality Marble, and if he needs to communicate with the outside after it has been deployed, he can send a single soldier, Mithrenes, outside of it briefly to receive and relay messages. It takes a great deal of energy to maintain it, and like most Reality Marbles, it can only be utilized for a few minutes at a time. Both the activation cost and the summoning of the Servants are taxing, but he claims that it wouldn't cost as much if most of the army isn't brought out. Due to Waver Velvet being unable to provide enough energy for it, he has to use his own reserves to maintain it. Using it two nights in a row brings him to the point where he is forced to take spiritual form to conserve as much energy as possible, and even after receiving boosts in energy from three Command Spells, he still can only use it one more time. Once activated, it is maintained by the collective prana of the entire army, which means that it will not remain stable if a large portion of the army is destroyed in a single attack.
Emiya Shirou (衛宮 士郎,Emiya Shirō?) is a character and protagonist of Fate/stay night. The Master of Saber during the 5th Holy Grail War. A magus that specializes in sword creation. His Command Spells symbolizes a sword. Student of Year 2 Class C of Homurahara School and, by the time of Hollow Ataraxia, he successfully graduated to Year 3 Class C. The winner of the Heaven's Feel 5, although he did not make any use of the Holy Grail.
Emiya Shirou is young man with short red hair and brown eyes. At school he wears brown school uniform of Homurahara high with white v- shape shirt. At school and in combat he wears navy v-shape shirt with long sleeves, navy jean, and gray sneakers.
In ten years before fate stay night when he was child he wears green jacket. navy pants, and white shoes.
Ten years before the start of Fate/stay night, Shirou was an ordinary boy living with his parents in Shinto. The great fire caused by the wish of Kotomine at the end of Fourth Holy Grail War killed both his parents and left him mortally wounded within the blaze. He was found by Emiya Kiritsugu , who was dejected after the events of the war, and wishing to atone for all of his actions, he saved Shirou's life by embedding Avalon in his body. He then later asked the recovering Shirou if he would like to become his adopted son, fully disclosing his identity as a magus. Shirou agreed and spent the next two years persistently asking Kiritsugu to teach him Magecraft. Kiritsugu eventually complied, and though he disapproved of Shirou's desire to learn his craft, he advised applying it in secret, where it could only benefit people and not attract confusion or suspicion. The knowledge he imparted on Shirou was very basic and incomplete, leading him down a dangerous path with little results. Furthermore, and perhaps inadvertently, Kiritsugu passed on his philosophy of wishing to be a hero of justice capable of saving anyone to Shirou.
Five years prior to the fifth Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu suddenly died, leaving Shirou frustrated, depressed, and alone. He was subsequently watched over by Fujimura Taiga, Shirou's longtime neighbour and his English teacher, and his living expenses were managed by her grandfather, Fujimura Raiga. He later went to a middle school where he encountered Matou Shinji around October of his second year when he had to remake the signboard of the culture festival according to the design of third year students in a single evening. Shinji, who oversaw that throughout the evening, said “Hmm… you’re an idiot but actually does a pretty good job.” and started to laugh.
After starting in Homurahara School, he met Ryuudou Issei and became known as someone who would readily do anything to help others, such as fixing the school equipment. He later joined the Archery Club, which led to an estranged relationship with Shinji. He missed the target only once during the period that he was enrolled, but even then he said that he saw that “it will miss” before even shooting it. He withdrew during the summer of his first year due to a bone fracture in his right shoulder he received during his part-time job, which left a burn mark over the skin. The wound itself was nothing major, but Shinji pointed out that it was unsightly for someone with a burn mark to do a formal shooting, so he left the club as it was also a period when he was busy with his part-time job. Their relationship eventually smoothen out, but some tension still remained, especially in regard to Shinji's poor treatment of Sakura. Shirou also got closer to Sakura, as she started to visit his household frequently during the period while he was injured in order to help him cook and clean up the house. Even after he was healed, she continued to come as a member of his makeshift family.
Shirou possesses an extraordinary talent for housework. Despite having Taiga as his caretaker, he generally provides for all of her meals and does almost all of the housework, whereas she generally does nothing. Home cooking is his forte, and he especially prides himself in Japanese cuisine. He is not a cheapskate when it comes to ingredients to make a delicious meal, and he will spend a great deal of time in order to make something extravagant. He teaches Sakura how to cook, and as she improves, they eventually start to compete over the quality of their meals. Shirou equally enjoys Japanese tea, black tea, and coffee, but he is better with Japanese tea, and he dislikes plum kelp tea. There are times when he receives liquor from Copenhagen, but he merely tastes it as he is not good with alcohol. Among the characters of Fate, he is one of the heaviest eaters, losing only to Saber, Berserker, and Lancer. According to him “one who does not have the stomach to digest breakfast is a failure as a martial artist.” Despite having his household finances taken care of by Raiga, Shirou doesn't wish to feel like a freeloader, so he has been taking up part time jobs since middle school in order to pay for his own expenses.
Shirou does not feel good in the atmosphere of a Game Center. He is weak against blind dates, even though he likes them. He has never gone to the dentist. His English is poor and his intended major is initially in the field of law and politics. He has a small collection of pornography acquired through his part-time job that he hides behind an album of photos set by Matou Shinji, which were not intended to serve as camouflage. He likes fixing up electronics to help practice his Magecraft, and he can become immersed for hours at a time while fixing appliances. Due to the fact that he almost never denies requests to repair appliances or work, such as cleaning the school's swimming pool before its opening, he has many nicknames such as “fake school janitor”, “in charge of mending”, “vacuum cleaner of the Archery Club” and “Homurahara’s brownie”. He likes to meditate within the dojo in his household, often to relax before or after practicing Magecraft.
While at school, he aims to be the greatest at the “who will give up first” type of contest. He once participated in sepak takraw along with Ryuudou Issei and Matou Shinji during a school festival. They advanced to the finals, but when they competed with the team formed by Himuro Kane, Sajyou Ayaka and Mitsuzuri Ayako, Issei caused a quarrel after being harassed with concentrated attacks and made both teams be disqualified.
Due to the trauma suffered during the great fire, Shirou has a constant emptiness in his personality. He feels that as the only survivor that it is unfair to the deceased to prioritize his own needs before those of others. He has a distorted sense of values where he finds selfworth from helping people without any compensation, as he feels that the very act “helping people” is his reward.[1] When it comes down to receiving an injury or even giving up his life to help someone, he will do it without a second thought. The people who see this side of him are often very worried and attempt to correct his behavior, though they are unable to change his viewpoints. Kiritsugu often talked about how he used strive to protect the innocent from the world's many perils, even at the cost of his own humanity, and how he was saddened by the reality that whenever he was able to spare one life, another person was fated to die. Although Kiritsugu was tormented by his inability to save everyone, Shirou always admired his efforts. Right before Kiritsugu's death, Shirou pledged to be a "hero of justice" in Kiritsugu's place and strive to protect everyone at the cost of his own life.
Shirou takes his ideals to the limit during the Fate scenario, where he constantly attempts to protect Saber from harm and keep her from fighting other Servants, despite the fact that she is multiple times more powerful than him. This is because he cannot stand the idea of someone being harmed for his sake. He never gives up his ideals during the route and injures himself numerous times to uphold it. During the Unlimited Blade Works route, Shirou, through constant arguing with Archer, begins to see the hypocrisy in his ideals. Though he refuses to give them up entirely, he works his way towards a middle ground where he will strive towards fulfilling ideals, despite knowing they are impossible to achieve. He faces his largest dilemma during Heaven's Feel, where he is forced to choose between sticking to his ideals and saving the life of Sakura. He eventually gives them up, with the exception of the "Mind of Steel" ending, where he becomes as resolute as Kiritsugu in his prime, allowing Sakura to die. He strives only to protect Sakura, though he is presented with conflict a number of times.
Shirou is extremely stubborn once he sets out to accomplish something, such as spending hours attempting to perform a high jump that is nearly impossible for him. This action, as watched by Rin and Sakura, is one of the initial factors that causes them both to develop feelings for Shirou. He will stubbornly defend his own viewpoints, no matter how wrong they may seem to others, even to the point of causing them great mental anguish. Though he does his best to help others, if he feels that a person brought about their own ruin, he will simply watch instead of helping. Nasu has stated that Shirou and Tohno Shiki would definitely get along badly.
Shirou has no interest in the Holy Grail, and instead despises its use. However, he is determined to win the Holy Grail War with Saber for he hopes his efforts will ensure that another disaster like the Fuyuki fire will never occur again.
In Heaven's Feel, Shirou's body was completely dead to the point that even the Holy Grail could not restore it, but Illyasviel von Einzbern resurrected his soul with an imperfect Third Magic and revived him by giving him nothing else but a basic body. This is not like pouring a spiritual body and consciousness into the brain of another to manipulate it, but a materialized soul that possess human functions which was given a body by the Third Magic. By giving a body to the soul, the flesh is perfectly reproduced after the shape of the soul. However, because Illyasviel's Third Magic was imperfect it took half a year of continuous trial and error, but in the end a basic body made by Aozaki Touko was purchased with the money from selling the books of the Matou family to the Mage’s Association and things were settled for the time being.
But even in this state where the soul operates the body by remote control while remaining inviolable in the other world, it still does not mean that he is immortal, as he can grow old, still has a lifespan and will die if killed. But the soul cannot remain in this world without the body, because instead of the soul reproducing the body that is dwelling in, it is being fixed by that body. In short it is a like the state of a dead Servant that can take action without a Master and is living in the same way as a human being.
However, because Aozaki Tohko had less Magic Circuits than Shirou, the transference of prana is bad. It seems that in this state, the strong point about Shirou’s basic body is that because it was repainted by the soul the original one became ordinary, but the flaws of the original were retained as they were.
The Shirou present in the game turns out to be a facet of the illusion created by Avenger to satisfy Bazett's wish to keep on living. Avenger takes on Shirou's persona during the daytime of the four-day temporal loop, where he has no knowledge of his existence as Avenger. He explains it as Avenger himself equaling "zero", and no matter how much "zero" is added to "one", it still only equals "one." As Shirou, he comes to care for other people, especially the mysterious Caren Ortensia. Eventually, Shirou realizes the existence of the temporal loop, which leads to him attempt to resolve it. The main problem is that Avenger enjoys his daily life as Shirou so much that he doesn't wish for it to end. Caren, who Shirou never meets due to dying whenever they come across each other, reveals to Shirou and Avenger that they are one and the same, and that he is the cause of the loop. Much to Bazett's sorrow, Avenger decides to put an end to the loop and returns to the void of the Grail.
Shirou is initially completely inept as a magus, only able to use Reinforcement and Projection Magecraft with a low level of success. Reinforcement allows him to analyze the structural composition of an object, and increase its effectiveness, such as making it more durable or its shape more practical, or return it to its original state. He can also use it to improve upon the physical capabilities of his own body, such as his eyesight, allowing him to see as far as four kilometers away. Shirou is also very skilled in Structural Grasp Magecraft, which allows him to understand the structure and design of objects as if he were viewing a blueprint. Projection, while a high level skill, is generally considered useless compared to Reinforcement due to the higher prana cost, and anything that Shirou initially projects is useless and hollow. Though the objects merely imitate the shape, there are only a few who can identify them as fakes in a first glance. Any practitioner that analyzes composition wouldn't be able to see through them, and even one that works through spiritual mediums would only notice a sense of incongruence. Since only objects with history ever go into the Department of Spiritual Invocation of Clock Tower, there is a low probability of them being discovered.
Shirou is later capable of using Tracing, a higher level version of Projection that completely copies everything regarding the creation and existence of the object. During the Fate scenario, he slowly learns of it on his own by training with Rin and following Archer's advice: "If you can't defeat it, then imagine what can", while in the Unlimited Blade Works scenario, he learns of it through extensive contact with Archer. He is only effectively able to reproduce swords, other weapons, and armor, but this specialty allows him to faithfully reproduce even legendary weapons. He is capable of reproducing any sword that he has seen, though Noble Phantasms are always one rank below their original strength and armor costs three times the amount of prana, and he is capable of employing its entire history, allowing him to wield any weapon with the same proficiency of its original owner. He has to see the weapons with his own eyes to reproduce them, as even the blueprint of Zelretch is not enough to reproduce it, but by seeing it and Caliburn through shared memories of Lizleihi Justica von Einzbern and Saber, he becomes able to fully trace them afterward. If the weapon is not made of materials that exist in the world, such as Ea, he cannot analyze or reproduce it, though he can tell its basic nature. He is also quite capable of creating his own original kinds of weapons, should he put his mind to it.
It is later identified that these abilities and Shirou's affinity with swords are concepts of Shirou's Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works. Rather than simply creating his projections in the real world, he actually reproduces them within the Reality Marble, as if he were loading a gun, and then projects them into the real world as if he were firing it. This allows him to prepare dozens of swords at a time for later use. Shirou is unable to properly deploy or maintain Unlimited Blade Works due to a shortage of prana, but with a proper contract with a magus with a suitable level of prana, such as Rin, he is capable of using it. If he were to learn about it normally, unlike the situation in Unlimited Blade Works where he learns of it firsthand from Archer, it would take ten years of training to set the foundations for the ability and another ten years to reach to the point of being able to use it. While actually using Unlimited Blade Works, the cost for creating the weapons is greatly diminished and the speed at which they can be created is also increased, allowing him to easily overwhelm Gilgamesh and his Gate of Babylon.
If Shirou were to fight Tohno Shiki, there would be a high probability of a mutual defeat where Shirou would have his projected Noble Phantasms one-sidedly killed, while Shiki would overuse his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to the point were he would overload and self-destruct after the battle. Circumstances would change if Shirou were capable of an Excalibur-like prana discharge. During a fight with Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a professional that specializes in anti-magus combat, he would likely be overwhelmed by her techniques, experience, and tactics, and he would also constantly have the disadvantage that using any of his high level techniques would leave him susceptible to Fragarach's instant kill ability.[2]
Shirou's basic training in Magecraft was extremely lacking, so he was left with the idea that he needs to create a new Magic Circuit with each use of Magecraft. He goes through extremely dangerous training, which he describes as the feeling of inserting a hot iron rod into his spine, where he constantly faces the risk of death in order to develop a new Circuit. Though his body has twenty-seven natural Magic Circuits, they have been abandoned for his nerves, which have become makeshift Magic Circuits due to his training. Once his real Circuits are awakened, he goes through extreme pain and suffering as his nervous system gets used to the new intake of energy. This leaves him with weak Circuits that can barely handle ten units of prana each. Shirou will never leave the level of a magus apprentice, compared to Rin classified as a "100", Shirou would be a "10", but as a specialist spellcaster, he would be received as someone on par with Kiritsugu’s evaluation as a “Magus Killer”, where he would be classified as a "40" compared to Rin's "100."
Shirou has Avalon implanted within his body, which saved his life during the great fire. This gives him an extremely potent regenerative ability while Saber is summoned due to Excalibur, though it does seem to sustain him even without it as he was able to temporarily survive a fatal blow dealt by Lancer. This allows him to survive numerous fatal wounds though it works against him in bad endings where he is able to be tortured and mutilated without succumbing to his injuries for a long duration of time. Unlimited Blade Works also seems to protect Shirou by creating blades within his body to reinforce it. He is able to survive a blow to the chest from Rider's dagger, which is repelled as if it is hitting metal, a kick that would have gouged his stomach only knocks him away, and he manages to keep from having his entire body destroyed from an attack by Gilgamesh. The ability seems to go out of control during a bad ending where numerous swords sprout from his dying body, and while his body is fully breaking down in the Heaven's Feel scenario, they are constantly being created and protruding from his skin.
During Fate, Shirou only learns the basics of his abilities, leading him to only trace Caliburn and Avalon. He practices basic swordfighting with Saber, though it amounts to little in actual offensive capabilities. He gains a much greater understanding in Unlimited Blade Works, as extensive contact with Archer, who is essentially the same person, allows for Archer's combat and Magecraft techniques flow into Shirou. He develops an affinity for using Kanshou & Bakuya and Archer's fighting style, which Saber notes while they are training. He lacks proper training so even the most basic projections cause him pain and the majority of the swords generated shatter upon impact due to their low quality. He forms a contract with Rin to have her provide the necessary prana to form his Reality Marble and he manages to project a number of weapons from the Gate of Babylon in order to defeat Gilgamesh.
Shirou loses his arm during in the Einzbern forest in Heaven's Feel and as he requires a transplant to survive, he is granted Archer's arm. Normally attaching a part of a spiritual body to a person, referred to as an "Artificial Phantasm", results in death after the completion of the surgery. Shirou manages to survive only because he is the same person as Archer, but it would still be impossible for him to handle Archer's power without killing himself. He is given the "Shroud of Martin" by Kotomine, which keeps Archer's circuits from connecting to his body. This is only temporary and the protection offered by the shroud would eventually wear away after ten years. Once it is removed, Shirou instantly gains access to Archer's Magic Circuits, battle experience, and techniques though he cannot deploy Unlimited Blade Works due to the drastic change in his own inner world by giving up on his ideal of being a hero of justice. He becomes able to easily leap out of the third story window of a castle and run fifty kilometers per hour through a forest. He is also able to trace "Nine Lives" to kill Black Berserker nine times with a single maneuver called "Nine Lives Blade Works" and later defeat Saber Alter with an Overedge technique of Kanshou & Bakuya at the cost of his mind during a bad ending. Using these abilities comes with a great cost as Archer's circuits overload Shirou's body leading to his mind slowly eroding, the decay of his memories, and eventual death as his body and soul break down from being invaded by Archer's Unlimited Blade Works.
Saber is Emiya Shirou's servant, an agile and powerful warrior. Saber is loyal, independent, and reserved; she appears cold, but is actually suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. Her class is considered the "Most Outstanding", with excellent ratings in all categories. Because her master cannot effectively provide her with Mana, she minimizes her activity to preserve what she has. Saber is bewildered by Shirou's "protective" tendencies, and believes his erratic and reckless behavior jeopardizes her chances of winning the Holy Grail War.
Saber is a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. She wears a mid-age blue dress rode with sliver armor to her arms, chest, and bottom of her dress. When she is not fighting, she wears casual clothes given to her by Tohsaka Rin- white collared shirt with long sleeves and a blue ribbon, a long blue skirt to match, black tights, and brown boots.
In Fate/Zero, before Fate/stay night, when she made a contract with Emiya Kiritsugu, she wears a black suit with grey collar and a black tie with equally black gloves for casual wear.
In Heaven's Feel route, when Saber is controlled by Dark Sakura, she has white blond hair and golden-yellow eyes, giving her a more eerie appearance. Also, her wardrobe is then entirely black. She has black markings on her face whereas the casual clothes given by Dark Sakura is a black dress with long sleeves, black leggings and shoes. A black ribbon is tied on her braided bun.
Saber's true identity is Arturia Pendragon; her creation as a character was inspired by the legends of King Arthur. In Fate/stay-night, the legendary King Arthur has been reimagined as a young woman rather than a man, and deeply burdened with the responsibility of upholding her ideals as what constitutes a rightful king.
Arturia is the daughter of the British King Uther Pendragon and Igraine, a former Duchess of Cornwall. At her nativity, Uther realizes his subjects will never accept a female as a legitimate ruler, and decides to not publicly announce Arturia's birth or gender. She is entrusted by Merlin to a loyal knight, Sir Ector, who raises her as a surrogate son. When Arturia is fifteen, King Uther dies, and with no known eligible heir to the throne, Britain enters a period of turmoil following the growing threat of invasion by the Saxons. Merlin soon approaches her, explaining that the British people will recognize her as a destined ruler if she withdraws Caliburn, a ceremonial sword embedded in a large slab of stone. However, pulling this sword is symbolic of accepting the hardships of a monarch, and Arturia will be responsible for preserving the welfare of her people. Without hesitation, and despite her gender, she draws Caliburn and shoulders Britain's mantle of leadership.
Arturia rules Britain from her stronghold in Camelot, and earns the reputation of a just, yet distant king. Under the guidance of Merlin and with the aid of her Knights of the Round Table, she guides Britain into an era of prosperity and tranquillity. Caliburn is destroyed, but Arturia soon acquires her holy sword, Excalibur, and Avalon, Excalibur's blessed sheath, from Vivian. While Avalon is in her possession, Arturia never ages and is immortal in battle. Anime Version of "Battle of Camlann" by Arthur Rackham.
Throughout her reign, Arturia is plagued by feelings of guilt and inferiority; she sacrifices her emotions for the good of Britain, yet many of her subjects become critical of her lack of humanity. Excalibur's scabbard is stolen while she repels an assault along her country's borders; when Arturia returns inland, she discovers Britain is being torn asunder by civil unrest. Despite her valiant efforts to placate the dissent, Arturia is mortally wounded by a traitorous knight, a homunculus born from her sperm (Merlin used magecraft to change Arturia for a short time) and blood named Mordred, during the Battle of Camlann. Her dying body is escorted to a holy isle by Sir Bedivere. Arturia orders a grieving Bedivere to dispose of Excalibur by throwing it back to Vivian; in her absence, she reflects on her personal failures, regretting her life as king. Before her last breath, she appeals to the world; in exchange for services as a Heroic Spirit, she asks to be given an opportunity to relive her life, where someone more suitable and effective would lead Britain in her stead.
Arturia is limited to the class of Saber, unlike many heroes that can be summoned into different classes, such as Hercules, who can be any class except Caster, and Cu Chulainn, who mentions that he could have been summoned as a Berserker instead of a Lancer.
Saber is a strong-willed young woman who always speaks resolutely. She is courageous, determined, and set on winning the Holy Grail. Throughout the story, Saber insists that she is a warrior first and that her gender is of little importance to her. Her stubborn personality is evident when she frequently explains her purpose to her Master, despite his objections: achieving the Holy Grail through any means. She is an exceptionally powerful fighter and is often downright merciless towards her opponents. Interestingly enough, she appears to become very uncomfortable whenever she is treated as a girl, likely because of her background as a knight. In spite of this, upon first seeing her, Shiro is instantly attracted to her feminine beauty. Saber can also be quiet and shy in social situations and unwilling to show emotions, as she has suppressed them so strongly and views herself as a knight foremost. Even though she attempts to hide them, her insecurities become more and more apparent. However, later on in the story, Saber begins to open up more and show her emotions more easily, especially to Shiro. A prominent theme in Fate/Stay Night is that Saber sacrificed what was most important to her when she became King Arthur: Her humanity. It is implied that during her life before becoming the King of Knights, Arturia was a dreamy, idealistic, innocent young girl.
Saber destroyed the Holy Grail in the fourth Holy Grail War because Emiya Kiritsugu used a command seal in order to force her to act against her will. However, she only managed to destroy the Grail's physical form. Her only wish is to redo her life so that she would never become king. In the Fate scenario, Shirou convinces Saber that she should accept her life for what it is rather than wishing to change her life. Saber only survives in Unlimited Blade Works' good ending. In Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, she used Excalibur to destroy the Holy Grail and its contents once and for all.
In the Heaven's Feel scenario, Saber is consumed by Alter Saber was killed by Shiro
darkness by Angra Mainyu and turns into Sakura's Servant, Saber Alter. Saber Alter is later defeated and killed by Shirou. In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Saber continues to protect Shirou, though it seems their relationship has turned more towards Saber having the major control over the relationship with Shirou. She kills Archer when he attacks Shirou in one loop. In another loop, Saber is killed by Bazett's Fragarach when she tried to use Excalibur on Bazett. In the final loop of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, Saber aided Shirou/Avenger in reaching the Grail by fending off the mysterious monsters (which were in fact leftover parts of Avenger wishing to continue the loop) with other Heroic Spirits.
In Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA she reappears as Saber Alter but a black plate mask covers her eyes as class card.
Saber was born with the prana of a dragon, shown by the “Pendragon” name, as Uther ordered Merlin to grant his successor the factor of the dragon (竜の因子,?).[1] She is the holder of the Element of the Red Dragon who carries the blood of a phantasm in a human body, granting her a heart and unique Magic Circuits that transcend what can be achieved by normal humans and magi. Saber's Circuits are called a Magical Core, which is a fundamentally different from those of a normal magus. While a magus' body can be considered a machine which creates magical energy, hers acts as a factory which creates magical energy. It functions as an enormous prana core with tremendous capacity that generates energy independent from her body, but it will not function without the proper energy to act as a "starting key." When she is almost out of energy in Fate after using her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, she has a great amount of undiluted magical energy within the core, but it is meaningless without enough energy to start it. It requires a "fire" to burn in order to activate it, and it doesn't matter how small it is, as it will resume activity once a path to send magical energy is connected. During Realta Nua, Shirou uses part of his own Circuits to start it, and encounters a dragon that takes form in Saber's unconsciousness. Shirou calls it "an absurd 'true nature' that is appropriate for the best Servant." Once reactivated, it shows its nature as a prismatic circuit as it glows with all the colors of the rainbow and burns with a golden fire as its circulation restarts.[2] Due to the characteristics of Dragon, she has much trouble with existences such as Siegfried, who is associated with tales of culling Dragons and weapons with an anti-dragon attribute such as Arondight.
Saber's dragon blood grants her a very strong Magic Resistance capable of resisting a Command Spell to a certain extent. It is possible that it will not function to its fullest extent if she is targeted by “Dragon-slaying Sorceries.”[3]
Saber made a pact with the World as she was dying; she would be allowed to try and obtain the Holy Grail to grant her wish. In exchange, if she succeeds, she will finish her life and become a Counter Guardian after her death, a sub-category of a Heroic Spirit at the service of the World. Because of this pact, she is in fact still alive and "frozen" in her dying state when she travels through time to obtain the Grail, and is summoned as a Servant in the Grail War. After each Holy Grail War, she goes back into her dying body, unless she wins or gives up, ready for the next Holy Grail War. Since Saber is not dead, she cannot dematerialize herself. This is also the reason she is able to retain her memories of the events of Fate/Zero, something a Servant should not be able to do (with the exception of Jeanne d'Arc). After giving up on obtaining the Grail and terminating her contract with the World, she goes to Avalon rather than being removed from the cycle of transmigration to be placed on the Throne of Heroes like other Heroic Spirits. She is still considered a person in the present among the English as the "future King who will be back."[4]
↑Fate/complete material III World Material - In the Saber route, Saber terminated her contract with the World by breaking the Grail by her own will, but in the end, wouldn't a hero of the caliber of King Arthur end up being removed from the cycle of transmigration as a Heroic Spirit after death?
A: King Arthur's goin' to Avalon. Among the English, King Arthur's still a person of the present. After all, she's the "future King who will be back"
Gilgamesh (ギルガメシュ,Girugamesshu?) is an enigmatic Archer-class Servant. He appears familiar with Fuyuki City and claims to have a past relationship with Saber. Typically clad in an ornate golden armor, he possesses an immense number of Noble Phantasms, though none are representative of his true identity.
Gilgamesh is extremely arrogant and selfish. He claims that everything in the world is his possession and he's the one and only king. He cannot acknowledge the authority of anyone, even from the gods. He's incredibily proud, especially of his collection of treasures. He views everyone as inferior and does not care for their feelings at all. After he saw enough of the modern world, he decided to cleanse it from humans since they have become weak and unworthy of his rule. On the course of the 4th Grail War he took interest in Saber and developed an obsession with her. In battle, he's prone to underestimate his opponents and views fights as a game of amusement. His gigantic pride prevents him from acknowledging his opponent as a real threat and he does not fight him/her seriously. As such he prefers to severely handicap himself and just mindlessly shower his incredulous volume of Noble Phantasms.
After he consumes the potion of youth, he becomes a little boy. Surprisingly, the child version of Gilgamesh is well-mannered, polite and amiable, not to mention perfectly sane and rational, complelety different from his extremely haughty, rude (and sometimes irrational and violent-tempered) adult counterpart. He becomes popular and an idol among children in Fuyuki, as he is seen leading a football team with amazing leadership. In his child form, he not only retains his memory but his royal and divine charisma as well. He remembers Shirou and greets him politely. Shirou initially wonders whether he is Gilgamesh's younger brother before being corrected, though child Gilgamesh wished he had brothers and sisters, showing that he is the only son of King Lugalbanda and goddess Ninsun. He also expresses his uneasiness of how he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant, referring to his adult form's personality. He also approves of Shirou's relationship with Saber and states that Saber is not suitable for someone of his age. It is likely that the Golden King was a better person when he was a child. Seeing him with the children, Shirou wonders how Gilgamesh will eventually grow up to become someone so unpleasant.
He retains his boy alter ego and amiable personality even when he reverts back to an adult, as he is seen fishing with several of his chidren companion (dubbed Gil's Brigade) at Fuyuki Dock, along with Archer and Lancer. He is also less arrogant than usual, showing that his personality has improved greatly somehow, even though he is boasting of his superior quality fishing rods compared to Lancer's and Archer's own. At some point, he also authors a manga that called Ju-Op that one of the children eagerly asked for.
Archer/Gilgamesh was initially summoned by Tohsaka Tokiomi in the 4th Holy Grail War, who used a fossil of the first skin ever shed by a snake as a catalyst. With Tohsaka's death, Gilgamesh co-operated with Kotomine Kirei to obtain the Holy Grail, intending to cleanse the world of humanity, which he felt had become corrupted and vile, thus not worthy of his reign (he wanted to rule a world inhabited with strong and dignified creatures, according to the Unlimited Blade Works scenario). When Emiya Kiritsugu killed his Master, Gilgamesh remained in the physical world long enough to be drenched by the pollution within the tainted Holy Grail. Contact with this ichor normally corrupts a Servant's ego, but Gilgamesh resisted submission to the evil influence. However, the saturation converted his spiritual body to one of flesh and blood, and Gilgamesh also become more eccentric and excitable.
In Fate/Zero, Gilgamesh was responsible for delivering the deathblow to the Rider-class Servant Iskander, King of Conquerors. Though he had been at odds with the King of Conquerers, Gilgamesh expressed considerable respect for Rider, despite Gilgamesh's extreme pride. Out of respect for Iskander, he spares Waver Velvet, Rider's Master, and dismisses him for the remainder of the war. In contrast, Gilgamesh develops a fascination for Saber, whom he views as weak-minded because of her ideals and desires to see her despair after he crushes them. However, during their final confrontation, their battle is interrupted by the destruction of the Holy Grail at the hands of Saber, forced to comply because of the commands issued by Kiritsugu via his Command Spells.
Although able to exist independently of Kotomine, Gilgamesh continued to co-operate with his old Master, who had been resurrected by the Grail's malevolent power. With Kotomine's aid, he was able to stockpile prana for his Noble Phantasms through the consumption of human souls from children orphaned by the fire at the end of the war. Gilgamesh also retrieved a potion of temporary youth from his vault that reduced his physical age and allowed him to smoothly blend in with society.
Gilgamesh is one of the antagonists in each scenario of Fate/stay night. He first appears before the start of the Fifth Holy Grail War around Sakura's house. He identifies her as “the other Grail” and comes to tell her “Go die right now.” It is just a suggestion rather than a command, as he believes that the matter will develop into some sort of entertainment regardless of the situation. When asked about the encounter, Sakura just claims that he was asking for directions and that “It was English” in order to hide the truth.[1] In Fate, he kills Caster as she assaults Shirou's residence, and later ambushes Shirō and Saber during their date. Ultimately, he is killed in a climatic battle with Saber at the Ryuudouji Temple atop Mount Enzō. Gilgamesh is more active in Unlimited Blade Works, and reprises his role as the final antagonist; He is "lent" to Shinji Matou after Shinji's Servant, Rider, is killed by Sōichirō Kuzuki and later easily killed Ilya and Berserker. Gilgamesh attempts to use Shinji as the core of the Holy Grail, but he is killed by Archer after being cornered by Shirō. Gilgamesh has a small role in Heaven's Feel scenario, where he lacerates Dark Sakura with Gate of Babylon. However, he underestimates her regenerative abilities and is devoured by her shadows.
In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Gilgamesh once again consumes his potion of youth, and holds a low-profile in Fuyuki City to avoid interacting with previous Servants or Masters. As a child, he is extremely popular with other children, retaining his royal charisma but also affable and amiable. When Shirou reunited with this younger Gilgamesh, Shirou did not recognize him and was dumbfounded as to how Gilgamesh would eventually grow into such a haughty and selfish person. It is possible that Gilgamesh is a better person when he is still a child, or the potion he consume to revert to child affects his personality as well as his age. Furthermore, he still remembers the events in Fate/Stay Night as he recognizes Shiro and greets him politely.He also awares of his adult alter ego and wonders why he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant. During the Fuyuki eclipse, he reverts to his adult form and assists the other Servants in slaying the endless horde of Shadow Wolf Beasts, providing the opportunity for Avenger to make his way to Heaven's Feel. He also seems to retain his pleasant personality even after he turns back as adult as he is seen fishing at Fuyuki Dock with several children, with golden fishing rods that his children companions think very cool albeit being slightly silly-looking. Fate/strange fake features another incarnation of Gilgamesh separate from the version summoned during the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars.
Archer/Gilgamesh possesses countless prototypes of other heroes' Noble Phantasms inside his Gate of Babylon, but only two (besides Gate of Babylon itself) are truly representative of him as a Heroic Spirit : Enkidu and Ea.
However, he mostly uses Gate of Babylon when fighting, and, according to his belief that most servants are inferior to him and not even worthy of direct confrontation, he usually doesn't even bother to grab the weapons and use them individually, but rather shoots them out like a rain of arrows. Weapons fired this way return to his vault automatically after a short period of time. Incidentally, this way of fighting made him suitable for Archer class.
↑Complete Material 3 -
Q: Prior to the start of the Holy Grail War, what was Gilgamesh doing around Sakura’s house? Sakura said he was asking directions, did he come to identify “the other Grail” - Sakura?
A: Yes. He came to tell Sakura to “Go die right now”. It is rather a suggestion than command. Regardless the situation, from the King’s perspective, this matter will develop into some sort of entertainment. As a result, what Gilgamesh said was not a command. Sakura’s reply “It was English” was a convenient excuse to hide the truth.
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